I read this piece and found myself amused by it. A friend was insulted, but doesn’t read the blog on a (semi-)regular basis. I think the real criticism is the hypocrisy of the Republicans, but you decide.
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‘Stealth Jihad’ Conveys Paranoia – Newsweek
‘Stealth Jihad’ Conveys Paranoia – Newsweek. Also, simply put, foreign words freak people out. “Jihad” and “Sharia” reinforce the sense among Americans that Muslims in general have an unfathomable world view. During World War II, formerly obscure words like “hara-kiri” and “kamikaze,” which suggested the “warlike ferocity” of the Japanese, became common parlance, Nunberg says. “There was this sense of being confronted with this hostile, alien culture.” The Japanese were “literally demonized,” he says.
Muslim condemnations of London bombing… [updated]
I had hoped to create a list of Muslim organizations and individuals condemning the London bombing, because every time something like this happens, there are voices that say violence is an intrinsic part of the Islamic tradition, and claim that because no Muslims have denounced the violence, it must be true. However, Muslims are constantly denouncing violence, but we are speaking from soap boxes. The fringe of humanity (these terrorists are the fringe of humanity, not just Islam) will always be louder. While gathering my material, several other sites have compiled these condemnations, including non-English material. I am linking to…
Shi’ism and Modern Politics
This post is not the one on Shi’ism I promised below, but it is still related to Shi’ism. Roy Mottahedeh has a great piece on the nature of the Shi’ah groups in Iraq. Juan Cole has a short summary of the relationship amongst Shi’ah groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. Both men are incredibly knowledgeable and extremely lucid writers. While both are predominantly political, they do give a surprisingly good idea of the religious landscape as well.